Mise à jour 26 avril 2024 par Redak
The 60th Venice International Biennale of Contemporary Art, which opened this Saturday, offers an impressive stage where works reflecting the vulnerability of our planet are displayed. From the eternal ice of Greenland to the lush forests of the Amazon, artists explore and expose the fragile link between man and nature through installations that challenge and question.
Closing the gaps – Yuko Mohri and the art of DIY in the face of disasters
In an approach that combines art and ingenuity, Japanese artist Yuko Mohri presents a provocative installation in the heart of flooded Tokyo subway stations. Using reclaimed materials like plastic bottles, buckets and pipes, she created a system to collect water droplets in vain. These everyday objects, linked to decomposing fruit, activate a sound mechanism which changes according to the humidity level. Sook-Kyung Lee, curator of the exhibition, emphasizes that this work illustrates how human creativity can find glimmers of hope and solutions in the face of ecological crises.
Melting ice – Nostalgia and urgency in the lens of Inuuteq Storch
The Denmark Pavilion highlights the poignant work of photographer Inuuteq Storch. Through six series of photos, he documents the effects of climate change on traditional Inuit life in the far north of Greenland. The images, mixing color and black and white, capture the dark beauty of polar landscapes and evoke a nostalgia for a way of life threatened by global warming. Curator Louise Wolthers says these works show how climate change has forced communities to abandon their traditional methods of hunting and fishing.
“Unscrupulous” – Olinda Tupinamba and the cry of the earth
Upon entering the Brazilian pavilion, visitors are greeted by a striking installation by Olinda Tupinamba, an indigenous artist and activist. A clod of earth, eroded and dotted with cassava roots and tubers, symbolizes fertility and life, while an old television broadcasts a woman’s message denouncing the incessant deforestation of the Amazon rainforest. This powerful work questions humanity’s destructive relationship with its environment and calls for collective and urgent awareness.
Life and death of a giraffe – The weight of the captive
The Czech Republic Pavilion features an evocative installation by Eva Kotátková. Entitled “The heart of a captive giraffe weighs 12 kilos less”, the work reconstructs the entrails and fragmented skeleton of Lenka, a giraffe captured in Kenya and died prematurely in a Prague zoo. This tragic installation questions our responsibility and our impact on other species, inviting each visitor to reflect on their role in this story of domination and exploitation.
This year’s Venice Biennale, under the banner of “Stranieri ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere”, is not just about exhibiting works of art; it launches an urgent call for reflection and action in the face of global ecological challenges. With representation from nearly 90 countries, this major event provides a unique platform to consider art as a vehicle for change, highlighting the urgent need to rethink our interaction with the Earth.
